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» Though Flanagan does attempt an idiosyncratic and spotty cultural history, she seems to be stuck primarily in her own adolescent years. (We are talking about someone who claims that Are You There God It’s Me Margaret was the most influential book she ever read in her whole life.) But it is precisely this stuckness, this sentimental cherishing of girls, this looking backward, that defines the larger movement of girlhood romantics who have always framed the conversation about girls and sex.

So, I was perhaps not aware of Ms. Flanagan’s particular place in the cultural conversation, or that she lined up so well opposite Katie Roiphe, but that does explain a number of things, only slightly further illuminated by this here piece in (ack) Slate.

(Oh, and two other little things: This is one of three reviews of this book that have used the “girl land: population one” crack, which might be irresistible, but even so; and, because this kind of book is not my usual cup of tea, and is in fact the kind of thing I’ll ordinarily just read the occasional review of, I’m surprised at how very thin Girl Land is for the amount of press it’s able to get. Man.)

January 14, 2012, 4:39pm  Comments